"Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter..."
from 'Ode on a Grecian Urn', by John Keats
Artists from Suburbia, in our dedication to allowing the community to participate in new ways in different and exciting theatrical productions, are thrilled to announce a second opportunity for submissions from local writers to have an original play workshopped and presented as a staged reading. Whether you’ve written dozens of plays before or have just always had the idea for a great theatre piece but never had the chance to make it a reality, Artists from Suburbia wants to hear from you. We will be accepting submissions of any one act play or musical. Three works will be selected by a team of experienced theatre artists and will be workshopped and presented as an evening of staged readings at the East Bridgewater Public Library.
Why should I trust Artists from Suburbia to bring my play to life?
The Artists from Suburbia are incredibly dedicated to bringing brand new stories in brand new ways to brand new groups of people. We recognize how important it is to interpret a playwright's message and translate it as comprehensibly as possible by utilizing a team of artists representing richly diverse theatrical backgrounds, ages, genders, races, and abilities. The varied viewpoints of our artists allow us to reach a wide range of people. We are incessantly seeking new and interesting ways to interpret stories. Last summer, all three of the playwrights whose works were selected were able to attend the rehearsals for the readings and play an active role in the development process of the performance.
Be sure to check out the incredible artists your play could be workshopped by by clicking here.
Check out information about last summer's festival here.
Please read below for all official submission guidelines:
Any current resident of Massachusetts is eligible to enter, including permanent residents and students currently enrolled in Massachusetts colleges, universities, and educational programs. Any group collaboration that involves at least one (1) Massachusetts resident or student is eligible for entry.
This year, the theme for our One Act Play Festival is "Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter". We are particularly interested in presenting works which give voice to marginalized groups usually not afforded the privilege of being represented on stage. We ask all playwrights to take this theme into consideration
All plays and musicals must be presented in one act. Although there is no limit to the length of the work, preference will be given to works under thirty (30) pages long. Playwrights submitting works over thirty (30) pages in length consent to having an excerpt of their work presented, edited to the specifications of Artists from Suburbia’s performance time constraints.
Submissions must be able to be presented by a cast of no more than ten (10) actors. If a work contains more than ten (10) characters or roles, playwrights are asked to include a cast list outlining suggested doubling.
Plays and musicals may be written by an individual or by a team of up to five (5) collaborators, limit of three (3) submissions per playwright, including any group collaborations.
Although there are no limitations on subject matter, Artists from Suburbia will unfortunately not be able to consider adaptations of copyrighted works for performance at this time. Adaptations based on works in the public domain or any adaptation protected by parody law will be considered.
Submissions will be accepted until 11:59 pm on March 31, 2017. Anything received after the aforementioned time will not be considered for production in this year’s festival. Submissions must be sent to [email protected] in the form of a PDF or attached Word Document. Please do not copy and paste text into the message of the email. We will not be accepting mail submissions at this time.
The subject line of each email should read:
Play Submission; [title of play]
If sending multiple submissions, playwrights are asked to send each as attachments in separate emails.
The email(s) should include:
Plays and musicals should be typed in any black, sans-serif font (preferably Times New Roman or Calibri), no smaller than font size ten (10). Illegible works will not be considered.
We look forward to reading all of the submissions we receive.
Have fun, and happy writing!
Why should I trust Artists from Suburbia to bring my play to life?
The Artists from Suburbia are incredibly dedicated to bringing brand new stories in brand new ways to brand new groups of people. We recognize how important it is to interpret a playwright's message and translate it as comprehensibly as possible by utilizing a team of artists representing richly diverse theatrical backgrounds, ages, genders, races, and abilities. The varied viewpoints of our artists allow us to reach a wide range of people. We are incessantly seeking new and interesting ways to interpret stories. Last summer, all three of the playwrights whose works were selected were able to attend the rehearsals for the readings and play an active role in the development process of the performance.
Be sure to check out the incredible artists your play could be workshopped by by clicking here.
Check out information about last summer's festival here.
Please read below for all official submission guidelines:
Any current resident of Massachusetts is eligible to enter, including permanent residents and students currently enrolled in Massachusetts colleges, universities, and educational programs. Any group collaboration that involves at least one (1) Massachusetts resident or student is eligible for entry.
This year, the theme for our One Act Play Festival is "Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter". We are particularly interested in presenting works which give voice to marginalized groups usually not afforded the privilege of being represented on stage. We ask all playwrights to take this theme into consideration
All plays and musicals must be presented in one act. Although there is no limit to the length of the work, preference will be given to works under thirty (30) pages long. Playwrights submitting works over thirty (30) pages in length consent to having an excerpt of their work presented, edited to the specifications of Artists from Suburbia’s performance time constraints.
Submissions must be able to be presented by a cast of no more than ten (10) actors. If a work contains more than ten (10) characters or roles, playwrights are asked to include a cast list outlining suggested doubling.
Plays and musicals may be written by an individual or by a team of up to five (5) collaborators, limit of three (3) submissions per playwright, including any group collaborations.
Although there are no limitations on subject matter, Artists from Suburbia will unfortunately not be able to consider adaptations of copyrighted works for performance at this time. Adaptations based on works in the public domain or any adaptation protected by parody law will be considered.
Submissions will be accepted until 11:59 pm on March 31, 2017. Anything received after the aforementioned time will not be considered for production in this year’s festival. Submissions must be sent to [email protected] in the form of a PDF or attached Word Document. Please do not copy and paste text into the message of the email. We will not be accepting mail submissions at this time.
The subject line of each email should read:
Play Submission; [title of play]
If sending multiple submissions, playwrights are asked to send each as attachments in separate emails.
The email(s) should include:
- Playwrights’ name(s) (including composers and lyricists, if applicable)
- Playwrights’ address(es)
- Contact phone number
- A brief explanation of how this play gives voice to an 'unheard melody' (limit: one hundred (100) words)
Plays and musicals should be typed in any black, sans-serif font (preferably Times New Roman or Calibri), no smaller than font size ten (10). Illegible works will not be considered.
We look forward to reading all of the submissions we receive.
Have fun, and happy writing!
"Artists from Suburbia taps into a unique vein of theatre that has become so rare yet so valuable in our community. Their artistic spirit comes from their urge to improve and foster bold new work in a vibrant and open environment. They are an asset to each other and welcome all newcomers. Few companies in the area can boast such a broad spectrum of viewpoints and and talents as the Artists, and I believe they will be a major force for social change and progress in the years to come."
-Alex Moon, playwright (The Werewolves)